By making a tribute gift to the ENF, you honor the friends and loved ones in your life, and remember those who have passed. It can represent significant times in your life such as anniversaries, special Elks ceremonies, GER visits, or the life of an exceptional individual. Whether you make an honor or memorial gift, you celebrate those individuals in a unique way by providing for youth, veterans and Elks’ communities.

For memorial gifts, donated in someone’s memory, an acknowledgement letter will be sent to the donor. A memorial card will be sent to the person(s) specified (i.e. the survivors) without revealing the gift amount. Please include their name and address when you make your gift.

For in honor of gifts, an acknowledgement letter will be sent to the honoree, and a certificate will be sent to the donor. Be sure to include their address if you would like the honoree to receive acknowledgement.

Make your gift by mail with this easy form, or online. For more information, search the frequently asked questions below or contact the Donor Services Department at 773/755-4764, or pledges@elks.org

Memorial FAQ:

A memorial card acknowledgement, sent to the deceased’s loved ones, includes a portion of the 11 O’clock toast and explains that the gift is placed in our permanent endowment fund.

Q. What do I need to include with the check besides my information?

A. You need to include the full name of whom the gift is made in memory of and if it applies, their Lodge number. If you would like an acknowledgement card sent, please also include the family member or friend’s name, address and relationship to the honoree. Click on the mail link above for a printable form.

Q. Who receives credit for the gift, and what is soft credit?

A. You, the donor, receive credit for the gift. You can ask that the honoree receive credit, but you must let us know through email (if making an online donation) or through correspondence (if mailing a donation).

We can also handle tribute donations by using soft-credit. With soft-credit, the donation will appear on the record of the person who actually gave the money, but will also be reflected on the honoree’s record for recognition purposes.

Note: Only one individual receives credit for recognition. If you soft credit an individual, they will receive the recognition benefits. Although it will appear on your record, it will not go toward your recognition total.

In Honor FAQ:

In honor of gifts include a personalized certificate that is sent directly to the donor for presentation to the honoree.

Q. What can I make a gift in honor of?

A. Anything you’d like! Birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, graduation, DDGER visits, PGER visits, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day or just a simple thank you; the possibilities are endless. If you would like the special occasion listed on the certificate, be sure to include this information with your check, or email enf@elks.org after making your online donation.

Q. What if I make a larger gift in honor of an individual?

A. Any gift larger than $1,000 will receive an Honorary Founder certificate (not shown), and larger than $2,000 will receive a Permanent Benefactor certificate (not shown). The name of the donor and gift date will be listed in small print on the certificate.

Q. Who gets credit on their ENF record? What about for dignitary visits?

A. As with memorial gifts, the donor receives credit unless otherwise specified. If the check is made payable to the dignitary, who then endorses the check over to us, we credit the dignitary’s record. If the Lodge or individual makes the check payable to us, we credit the donation to their record, in honor of the dignitary.

If you’d like the credit to go to the dignitary’s record, but feel more comfortable about making the check payable to the Foundation, then be sure to provide clear instructions on Lodge letterhead with your check.

Note: Regardless of which record the donation is applied to, you can specify that you would like your Lodge to receive credit toward per capita.